Getty ImagesIs Kansas for real?
To the BCS, yes. It has the Jayhawks at No. 4.
But peruse their schedule and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a quality opponent. The Jayhawks got off to a 4-0 start with wins over Central Michigan. Southeastern Louisiana, Toledo and Florida International.
Since then, their best victories have come on the road against Kansas State, Colorado and Texas A&M. Those teams are all right, but none will make pundits swoon. And the 76-39 blasting of Nebraska on Saturday is more a testament to how far the Cornhuskers have fallen rather than how Kansas has arrived.
Kansas still has Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Missouri. Only Missouri is somewhat worrisome, and that game is at Kansas. Then comes the Big 12 title game, which should match Kansas and Oklahoma. That means the Jayhawks’ first real test of the season will come in their final game.
The purpose here is not to denigrate Kansas, but to remind the Jayhawks that if they want to continue to be considered among the nation’s best for years to come, they should mix in an Oregon or Michigan or Boston College or Florida State into their nonconference slate. Because right now, there’s nothing there to get excited about, and the pollsters and computers can only be fooled once.
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